PPRuNe Forums - Australian Fires

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Australian Fires

The Aussie fires are going off at the moment in 3 states on the eastern seaboard, can any of the guys involved post to let us know how it is going? Who is where and what aircraft are involved?

fatty

Only this totally unnecessary and almost calamatous situation.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...2/s1813183.htm

some have said a return to 2003 patterns, because of high country not being allowed to be grazed and such management not being replaced by any other.

Look forward to a repeat in another three years, and thank the greenies. They are easily recognised by their loose and generally unkempt attire and the hairs on their arms that y'could spear buck rats with.

NSW Fires Location of Helicopters

G'day Guys and Girls
This is my first post so please don't shout at me just yet. Am wondering does anybody have a list or access to a list of where people(machines) are working in NSW.Can get a rough idea in Vic from Fireweb.Any help would be appreciated.I have worked in this industry for a long time and enjoy the cut and thrust of Rotorheads or at least most of it(sometimes unfair to attack with anonymity but then that's life)

"Only this totally unnecessary and almost calamatous situation"

Top End Torque what exactly do you mean? Please elaborate for us.

Cowwarr-Toongabbie on the map for the wrong reasons

Gippsland fires appear to have been deliberately lit, police still searching for 2 teenagers seen in the coopers creek area shortly before it started.

missed the family house by 300m, the wind was incredible, the loss of homes (3 closeby), sheds, wildlife, live-stock, fences & human life completely unneccessary.

most locals I have spoken with have all said the same thing; "just put them in a room for 5 minutes with the affected families..."

News reports tonight....."Two men eliminated from enquiries following police investigations which verified that they had merely been fishing".

Always did sound like a beat up. Emotive reporting needs to be taken with a grain of salt at the best of times. How else can you get yokels to make stupid threats like tying people up to trees and setting them on fire........yeeesh!

AND that's only to their neighbours! Folks are dumb....blah blah blah....etc etc.

DD

Quote:

Originally Posted by Semi Rigid (Post 3025047)

Please elaborate for us.

Hi Semi Rigid Glad to.

Since my post there have been more news items in relation to it, included below. The first details the Victorian govt offer of travel assistance to family members of the injured firies. The second of course announces - (DRUMROLL) - the inevitable inquiry into the incident. Gee whiz.

Assistance
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200612/s1813470.htm

Review
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200612/s1813715.htm

In answer.
Almost calamitous;
Because it could easily have further injured or indeed killed these very noble volunteers, countrymen of yours, who have travelled here to help.
Unnecessary;
Because the natural resources of this country should never be mismanaged with such shocking ineptitude, without putting too fine a point on it, that necessitates these volunteers and others from USA who are on standby, to have come fix up our mess.

Mismanaged because of the absolute lack of Political will of these eastern state govt’s;
To get in and create fire mitigation by cool fire burn offs or;
To get on top of a noisy rabid minority who do not have on their agenda anything to do with good rangeland management, merely it is misguided disruption that puts at risk all of those now facing risk, or;
Despite begging pleas from farm organisations representing those in drought esp. those right adjacent these forest areas where there are a lot of grass reserves (fuel) the park managements will not give relief to the financially crippled farmers or help mitigate the fire risk by allowing grazing.

This country was created by fire, to replace it with some grazing mechanism is OK, but remove everything and you will get infernos, almost every three years, as is being demonstrated, not like the thirty or sixty year cycles from before.

Captain Cook found the Eastern seaboard as open woodland from thousands of years of cool fire burns that the aboriginal people used to hunt with (not to manage the land that is a load of bull) they did it merely to hunt and gather, a good practise.

Also, we in the north reckon that the techniques used to fight these fires is totally a*** up. A fire break is only good if it is used to burn back off, get out further back burn and fight fire with fire and abolish the risk for those involved.

There is no excuse for the fires management that these guys are in hospital. Why did they not have suitable protective gear? The press report talks about burns to the exposed areas. Jesus!!

Grizzled on a bit much there Heliport, my apologies, ten points to the NZ - and all vollies - and I wish them a speedy recovery.
TET

Fire Chopper Pics from Latrobe Valley, VIC

Great pics - what camera?

select reverse gear and roll camera?

Quote:

Originally Posted by VH-XXX (Post 3025527)

Dropped in on Saturday. There were 14 in total. The only movements on the day were a couple of News choppers. Eddie's new Channel 9 beast looks impressive with glass cockpit and the night camera, pop out floats etc....

It is an Ultramedia camera installed in a er um puzzling position.

Or do they fly backwards downunder:)

Mickjoebill

Quote:

Originally Posted by mickjoebill (Post 3027394)

It is an Ultramedia camera installed in a er um puzzling position.

Or do they fly backwards downunder:)

Yes ;)

But it's easier to lower the ball on its arm and thus clear the skids, etc: the installation gives better clearance for scrub landings, and a better field of view when lowered :ok:

Was asking about the camera that took the picture of the camera?

The camera is a Pentax Optio S6, 6 Megapixes with 3 x Optical, great for keeping on the belt when flying. It's a very small camera and has a huge 2+ inch screen which is really easy to view. Those pics were 5mega-pixel, but reduced in mspaint to 30% so they are not native. AUD$400. It does good 630x480 mpeg-4 movies too and has anti-shake installed. Only problem is it suffers in strong sunlight. Sometimes it has trouble adjusting to the light and just shows up white on the screen. It can be a little annoying.

Thanks - good bit of gear according to my screen here!

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Eacott (Post 3028563)

Yes ;)

But it's easier to lower the ball on its arm and thus clear the skids, etc: the installation gives better clearance for scrub landings, and a better field of view when lowered :ok:

I reckon this mount is fixed.

A bizzare configuration, designed by aviation department rather than camera department no doubt:)

Mickjoebill
(camera department)

Quote:

Originally Posted by mickjoebill (Post 3029095)

I reckon this mount is fixed.

A bizzare configuration, designed by aviation department rather than camera department no doubt:)

Mickjoebill
(camera department)

Sprung :p ;)

We've had a fair time in NSW the past month, these were taken in the Mudgee area (when I wasn't too busy driving, of course ;) )

The inevitable AAS instruction..."Just cool it down a bit"

http://www.helicopterservice.com.au/...Mudgee%202.jpg

http://www.helicopterservice.com.au/...Mudgee%201.jpg

One of Johnnie Mac's very capable 214B's, with Hamish driving:

http://www.helicopterservice.com.au/...Mudgee%203.jpg

A fixed wing bomber off to deliver a few tonnes, at an estimated $12/kilo on target

http://www.helicopterservice.com.au/...Mudgee%205.jpg

Usually :p

http://www.helicopterservice.com.au/...Mudgee%206.jpg

Although they really are impressive, talk about cojons!

http://www.helicopterservice.com.au/...udgee%2012.jpg

We spent a lot of time dropping RAFT into bush pads, fairly tight, and very dusty until they were wetted down for us:

http://www.helicopterservice.com.au/...udgee%2009.jpg

http://www.helicopterservice.com.au/...udgee%2010.jpg

http://www.helicopterservice.com.au/...udgee%2011.jpg

Fast Eddie must be a fun bloke to work for - according to the smiling joe driver of his machine.

Here is the coroners report on the canberra fires of three years ago. Seems that he thinks there's a fair bit a*** up too.

The chief minister Stanhope copped a good rev as well.

http://news.google.com.au/news?q=ACT+fire+inquiry+coroner&hl=en&lr=&cr=countryAU&sa=X& oi=news&ct=title

Quote:

Originally Posted by topendtorque (Post 3031404)

Fast Eddie must be a fun bloke to work for - according to the smiling joe driver of his machine.

To quote 'Smiling Joe' Steve: "I was smiling! Bloody papparazzi :p "

Rain/showers/100kph winds forecast today, and snow in the Alps for Christmas Day, but I bet that it won't do much to stop this blaze :(

This photo was taken last week at the Mt Beauty pondage

http://www.helicopterservice.com.au/...uty%20fire.jpg

John, that last photo is absolutely amazing! I like the way the orange/red of the fires reflects in the water. If its ok with you, I'd love to have a look at the hi-res version (if there is one?)?